UPDATE: Police name suspect in Orange mass shooting that killed four, including a child

Orange, California - Four people, including a child, were killed on Wednesday evening in a mass shooting at an office complex in Orange, California. Two others were also transported to nearby hospitals with critical injuries.

Police officers work near the site of the shooting in Orange, California.
Police officers work near the site of the shooting in Orange, California.

The shooting occurred at 5:30 PM local time in a two-story office complex that is home to a number of small businesses.

Lieutenant Jennifer Amat, a spokesperson for the Orange Police Department, said officers received a call on Wednesday about shots fired and responded to a business on Lincoln Avenue in Orange, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.

A gun fight occurred after officers were fired on by an active shooter when they arrived.

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Four people, including a child, were pronounced dead on the scene. A wounded female victim, was taken to a nearby hospital and listed in critical condition on Wednesday night.

The gunman was also wounded and received critical injuries. It is not known whether they were from responding officers or self-inflicted, reported NBC Los Angeles.

Few details were immediately available about the shooter's motive, details about the victims, or why a child was on the office premises.

The event marks more than 20 mass shootings that have occurred in the US in the past two weeks, according to CNN.

"Horrifying and heartbreaking. Our hearts are with the families impacted by this terrible tragedy tonight," said California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Witnesses described hearing gunshots from acorss the street

Locals stand and wait for updates across the street from where the shooting occurred.
Locals stand and wait for updates across the street from where the shooting occurred.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

An apartment complex sits directly across from the office building where the shooting took place.

Residents who heard gunshots were startled and came outside their homes to see chaos across the street.

"Oh my God, I couldn't believe it, we are a safe, really safe area, so I had to know what's going on," said 18-year-old Nathan Zachary.

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Spokesperson Amat said there is no current threat to the public, noting that the investigation will remain ongoing with multiple law enforcement agencies.

She said the city of Orange was "usually quiet" and has not had a similar mass shooting since 1997.

"Hard to sleep unless you know what’s going on," resident Zachary said.

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California's representatives responded to the event that has added to a spike in recent US mass shootings.

On March 16 a gunman killed eight people in Atlanta-area spa shootings. Six days later, a shooting at a Boulder, Colorado grocery store left ten people dead.

Updates on the Orange shooting will be announced at an official briefing at 10:00 AM local time on Thursday.

UPDATE: April 1 at 12:05 PM EST

In a press conference on Thursday, the Orange County Police Department released the name of the suspect from Wednesday's shooting, naming 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzales.

City officials said it seemed the suspect and the four victims knew each other on a personal and professional level, and that this was an isolated incident. No police officers were harmed or killed in the shooting.

Lt. Jennifer Amat said that they will not be releasing the names of the victims, but shared the child involved was a 9-year-old boy.

The exact relationships between each victim and the suspect are unknown and under investigation.

At the time of the event, Gonzales had locked himself in the courtyard of the business complex, making it impossible for law enforcement to breach the fencing and secure the building until bolt cutters were brought to them.

The city of Orange's county attorney Todd Spitser noted that due to the way Gonzales went about the shooting, he could qualify for the death penalty.

While the specific type of gun hasn't been named, Lt. Amat said it was a semi-automatic. The motive is currently unknown.

Cover photo: IMAGO / Xinhua

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